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El río Guadalquivir va entre naranjos y olivos. Los dos ríos de Granada bajan de la nieve al trigo. ¡Ay, amor que se fue y no vino! El río Guadalquivir tiene las barbas granates. Los dos ríos de Granada uno llanto y otro sangre. ¡Ay, amor que se fue por el aire! Para los barcos de vela, Sevilla tiene un camino; por el agua de Granada sólo reman los suspiros. ¡Ay, amor que se fue y no vino! Guadalquivir, alta torre y viento en los naranjales. Dauro y Genil, torrecillas muertas sobre los estanques. ¡Ay, amor que se fue por el aire! ¡Quién dirá que el agua lleva un fuego fatuo de gritos! ¡Ay, amor que se fue y no vino! Lleva azahar, lleva olivas, Andalucía, a tus mares. ¡Ay, amor que se fue por el aire!
Confirmed with Federico García Lorca, Die Gedichte: Spanisch-Deutsch, ausgewählt und übertragen von Enrique Beck, Band 1, Göttingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2008, pages 66 and 68.
Text Authorship:
- by Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936), "Baladilla de los tres ríos", appears in Poema del Cante Jondo, first published 1921 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Baladilla de los tres ríos", from Romancero Gitano, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Enrique Beck (1904 - 1974) , "Kleine Ballade von den drei Flüssen", copyright © ; composed by Günter Bialas, Hermann Reutter.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Richard Gard) , "Song of the Three Rivers", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Little Ballad of the Three Rivers", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ballade des trois rivières", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ivo Zandhuis , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-11
Line count: 32
Word count: 137
The Guadalquivir River runs between orange and olive trees. The two rivers of Granada descend from the snow to the wheat. Alas, love that vanished and never returned! The Guadalquivir River has deep red whiskers. The two rivers of Granada, one tears and the other blood. Alas, love that vanished into the air! For sailing ships Seville has a path; in the waters of Granada there row only sighs. Alas, love that vanished and never returned! Guadalquivir, tall tower and wind in the orange groves. Dauro and Genil, little towers standing dead above the ponds. Alas, love that vanished into the air! Who is to say that the water bears a will-o'-the-wisp of cries! Alas, love that vanished and never returned! Carry orange blossoms, carry olives, Andalusia, to your seas. Alas, love that vanished into the air!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Spanish (Español) to English copyright © 2020 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Spanish (Español) by Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936), "Baladilla de los tres ríos", appears in Poema del Cante Jondo, first published 1921
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-13
Line count: 32
Word count: 137